Principal's Report 

Hello Everyone, 

On Tuesday, November 22, we celebrated Valedictory for our current Year 12 cohort. It was a huge night with close to 300 guests. A big thank you to Senior School and in particular, Year 12 Coordinator, Anna Anetoudis for all the work behind the scenes. A big thank you to Year 12 student, Emily Clement for her fantastic Year 12 video. The rites of passage to the life beyond school are something to be treasured. We wish every single one of them the very best of what life can bring and that they already regard Wheelers as part of their extended family. So while we are saying good-bye to our 12's, we are also welcoming in our new Year 7 cohort.

On November 16 we ran our Transition Evening for families. It was standing room only. It was wonderful to see so many carers and parents with their children so excited about coming to Wheelers. Again, I would like to acknowledge the work of the Middle School and Broader Transition Team for making this happen.

Next year will also mean significant changes for our school timetable and configuration of the school day as we implement the New Agreement and the reduction in Face to Face teaching so that teaching staff have more time for planning, preparation and collaboration. The start and end time for the school day will remain the same. However, we are moving to a five period day of sixty minutes. The new timetable has also ensured that there is greater equity on the timetable for core subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities, which will now be a core subject at Year 10. If we wish to improve outcomes in VCE then we have to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge in Middle School.

2023 School Day:

Although students will not have homegroup every morning, there will still be nominated homegroup teachers  and opportunity for extended homegroups during assembly times. We also hope this may address the lateness issue at Year 11 where many students are continually late to homegroup or simply don’t arrive until period 1 begins. 

All teachers are responsible for the Learning and Wellbeing of our students. In 2023, coordinators will be known as Learning and Wellbeing leaders. The intention is to normalise how we approach wellbeing and mental health in our students so that there is greater consistency and clarity around what wellbeing actually means. To this end Inclusion will also be recognised as an integral part of how Wellbeing is delivered at WHSC.

One of my early actions as Principal was to set up a Suggestion Box in the Library to improve WHSC. I am delighted to say that the suggestions have been overwhelmingly proactive. Two issues have clearly emerged for our students: Sports Uniform and the Canteen. We have taken both onboard. In 2023 we will trial that students who have a scheduled PE or Sports lesson or activity come to school in the correct sports dress code for the whole day. If there is any alteration to the dress code, then they must have approval from parents or carers via Compass or a hard copy note. If a student is found to be in sports attire without a scheduled class or uniform pass, then consequences will apply. We hope this will alleviate change room rush, especially with the reduction of period lengths. 

Many students have also expressed concerns about the variety and cost of Canteen food. In 2023 we will put the Canteen out to tender and Andrew Dixon will lead a team of staff, students and School Council members to examine alternatives. This is in no way a reflection on our current Canteen  staff who do a wonderful job.

Another area of change for 2023 will be new faces in our Senior School Team. I am delighted to announce that Felicity Graham-Prowse will lead Senior School in 2023. Her outstanding knowledge of VCE Assessment and her commitment to student learning is a great foundation to build her leadership of staff and students. David Teakle, who is new to WHSC in 2022, will take on the role of Year 12 Learning and Wellbeing leader. David is a highly experienced and respected practitioner who teachers Maths and Science and was recently successful in being selected to participate in the Victorian Academy for Teaching and Leadership Excellence program. Nick Molan will follow up his Year 10 Cohort to Year 11 and Sharon Sharpe, a highly experienced teacher, will assume the role of Learning and Wellbeing Leader for Year 10. It is an excellent team, and they will serve the needs of your children in Senior School well.

On Sunday, December 4, WHSC are presenters at the Monash Maker Faire, showcasing student work from our ACE and STEM programs. We are incredibly proud that we and one other secondary from our Network will be stakeholders. It is expected that over 7,000 people will attend the event at the Woodside Building at Monash University. We wish our teachers and students a fantastic experience.

We all know that Term 4 is an incredibly busy time, so School Council took the decision to postpone our Trivia Night until Friday, March 17, 2023. By advertising the date now we hope to have an excellent crowd to showcase their knowledge of trivia and raise funds to support the school. There are some amazing items available for the Silent Auction on the night. So please, support your school and your students and book a table when the details are released. It will be a family friendly event with BYO nibbles and non-alcoholic beverages. Many thanks to our ‘Family and Friends’ School Council sub-committee for organising it.

Take care

Fern Brisbane

WHSC Principal